


the littlest mermaid

by delimeful



Series: Delimeful's Giveaway Fics [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Fear, Fluff, G/T, Gen, Giveaway fic, Little Mermaid Elements, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Tiny Mermaids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23099887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delimeful/pseuds/delimeful
Summary: Virgil investigates a strange noise on his walk home and gets more than he bargained for.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders
Series: Delimeful's Giveaway Fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1660312
Comments: 5
Kudos: 182





	the littlest mermaid

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SergeantSarcasm7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SergeantSarcasm7/gifts).



When Virgil clocked out for the day, it was nearing twilight. **  
**

That suited him just fine. He was used to Rosewood’s schedule, having worked at the little cafe-slash-gift-shop for a couple of years now, and he knew well that his hours would shrink the further they got into the off-season. It was pretty difficult to sell meaningless trinkets and knick knacks to tourists when the tourists weren’t actually around.

And they certainly weren’t around now, he noted as he ambled down the cobbled path to the shorefront. There wasn’t a single gaudy beach shirt or pop-blasting portable speaker in sight, only miles of rocky beach and dark waves. Tourists didn’t visit in the grey of winter, when the winds were harsh and howling, and worn buildings with frost-covered windows lined the streets.

Naturally, as a lover of all things dark and dreary, Virgil preferred the winter version of his hometown. He especially loved walking along the beach as twilight fell, smoke beginning to curl from nearby chimneys and everything cast in dark silhouette. His headphones were looped around his neck, forgone in favor of listening to the waves crashing against the stone shores. 

It was during a brief lull in the ocean’s rhythm that he heard it. 

A splash, as though someone had tossed a rock into still water, and then a voice murmuring in a worried tone. He paused, turning towards the sound, but couldn’t see anything but tide pools between him and the sea. The splash came again, and then the voice, too quiet to make out distinct words. 

Virgil hesitated for a moment longer, wondering if it might be better to leave it alone as stories about kelpies and kappas ran through his head. It was possible he was just hearing things after a long day of taking orders and making drinks. 

There was a muffled cry of pain, and Virgil bit his lip, accepted the fact that he was a dumbass, and hurried forwards, carefully stepping across the rocks in the direction of the noise. His footsteps were fairly quiet, since he was always careful not to step on the barnacles that littered the pools. The mysterious voice went silent anyhow. 

“Hello?” A crab scuttled out of his way as he peered around one of the larger outcroppings, searching for whoever might be lurking. “Uh… Are you okay?” 

There was no response, but it was the sort of absence that made him feel like someone was holding their breath, hiding from him. Maybe it was one of the local kids, worried they’d get in trouble if they were caught? He frowned at the thought, and pulled out his phone, flicking his thumb across the screen a few times to start up his flashlight app. 

The beam of light certainly helped, since the sun was slowly sinking behind the horizon, but it didn’t reveal any kids. “Look, kid, I won’t tell on you, but if you’re hurt, we’ve gotta get that fixed up. It won’t stay low tide forever.”

He strained his ears in the resulting silence and was rewarded with a low sloshing sound, like someone shifting in water. Were any of these tide pools big enough for a kid to fit in? He swung his phone around to point at the sound, and caught a glimpse of something shining in one of the pools. 

Feeling a bit like one of those idiot horror movie protagonists, he shuffled forwards, crouching tentatively next to the pool to investigate. Maybe someone dropped a cursed amulet. He slowly moved his light across the water’s surface. If it was going to curse him it better at least look cool.

Another flash of movement, and suddenly something leapt from the water, making Virgil yelp and fall back onto his rear. He swung his phone back up hurriedly and was greeted with the sight of a small figure struggling to claw up the opposite side of the rock pool using upper body strength alone– because his bottom half was a scaly, writhing fish tail. 

Before he had time to freak out about finding what appeared to totally be a genuine real life cryptid, the tiny mermaid in question slipped with a pained cry, beginning to fall back towards the shallow saltwater. Virgil reacted on instinct, his phone clattering to the rock beside him as he dove forward and caught the tiny form in his hands. 

“No, no no!” The voice said, tiny webbed hands pushing against his fingers. “Please, let me go!” 

“Yeah, of course, I– Sorry, I panicked,” Virgil babbled as he carefully lowered his hands into the water and watched the mer dart back into a corner of the pool. He drew his hands away, shaking them mostly dry. “Are… are you okay?”

He could barely make out the glint of the mer’s eyes as they bobbed up to the surface, poking their head out to stare at Virgil in disbelief. “You let me go.” 

“Yes?” Virgil answered, though they didn’t sound like they were asking a question. “Sorry about– uh, I just heard noises and thought maybe someone was hurt? So, I came down to help… I can leave. I should probably leave.” 

“Wait!” Virgil froze mid-turn, glancing back towards the pool. The mer had rose further out of the water, gripping the wall of the rock pool as they peered up at him. “You… you’ll really help me get out of here?” 

“Yeah, of course,” he hurried to assure them, realizing that the low tide must have been what got them stuck in there in the first place. “What do you need me to do?” 

The mer ducked underwater and swam a quick circle, and then popped back up with a determined expression. “C– Can you please carry me over to the sea?” 

“Oh.” Virgil blinked, and then shoved his phone in his pocket and promptly offered his hands, fingers laced to create a sort of cradle. “No problem, I’ve got you.” 

The mermaid slowly drifted closer, looking up at Virgil with one last hopeful glance before pushing themself up and flopping into his hands. Their body was colder than he’d expected, but he supposed that made sense, considering they lived in northern waters. He slowly stood up and immediately moved his hands to cushion against his chest, ignoring the wet spot forming on his shirt. He really didn’t want his shaky hands to act up now. 

The mermaid curled a hand around his thumb for stability, peeking over the sides of his curled fingers and brightening at the sight of the waves, illuminated by the last rays of sunlight. 

Virgil was very careful not to jostle them as he moved from rock to thick sand, his eyes constantly darting back to his hands. The tiny figure in his hands was like something out of a fairytale, tiny gills and frilled ears fluttering. Their scales were a soft blue, but whenever the light caught them, they shone an iridescent gold. 

Soon enough, they reached the edge of the water. “Here we are, uh…,” he trailed off as he realized he didn’t know the little mermaid’s name. 

“I’m Patton!” they offered, smiling brightly and displaying tiny razor sharp teeth. It was kind of totally adorable.

“My name’s Virgil,” he replied, lips twitching up in a smile of his own. “It was nice to meet you, Patton.” 

He crouched, carefully letting the waves wash over his hands. Patton dove into them with a flick of their tail, a glittering blur in the water. To Virgil’s surprise, they popped back up, only a few feet away. “Thank you, Virgil! I have to go home now, but I’ll be back for your wish!” 

With one last wave, they disappeared below the water’s surface, leaving Virgil sitting at the edge of the sea with a dumbfounded expression. 

“… My _what?”_


End file.
